Along Route 74: Blessings often come to those who do for others

Riding through my home town of Concord recently, I noticed they were tearing down a building behind the old courthouse to create more parking.

Iím not sure but I think it was a structure I had been in only once. That triggered another of my limitless memories.

A friend of mine had an office there. For most of my life, Carolyn Goodman was the sweet lady that lived next door to my grandmother and went to our church.

When I entered college, Carolyn started teaching that age group. That meant, on most Sundays through the school year, attendance would range from three to 10-or-12 depending on which ones came home that weekend.

Because she was a fun person to talk with, a lot of that group stayed close with her. So she didnít have any qualms one summer day calling a bunch of us seeking help.

As a magistrate working in one of annexes at the old courthouse, she performed marriages for quite a few couples that passed through.

When a particular pair came in from out of state on one occasion, the bride-to-be was a little emotional. This wasnít the wedding the girl Ė who had been raised going to church Ė had envisioned.

Carollyn got the couple to wait a couple hours to give her time to spring into action. She assigned several of us to specific tasks.

I collected several Methodist hymnals from our church. Someone was sent to retrieve a punch bowl. Carolyn herself went to the grocery store.

There was more -- two others were dispatched to a K-mart to pick up some small 'knick-knack' gifts. We all pitched in at the courtroom itself, hanging ribbons and setting out flowers. Carolyn also sent word to people in some of the offices around the courthouse to come to the wedding.

The plan all came together.

The young lady, greeted by organ music on a tape recorder when she entered, may not have had her dream wedding but it was closer than it would have been had Carolyn not worked her magic.

In the short ceremony, she included prayer and scripture from some of her helpers, plus we stood as a group and sang a couple of hymns. When it was over, we had refreshments and the new bride was beaming as she got to tear open the small gifts.

It taught me a lesson. Weíre never too busy to go that extra step to do something nice for others Ö and sometimes we're the ones who really get a blessing out of it.

That was about 1976. I always wondered if that couple made it and stayed together all these years.

Regardless, their big day turned out to be a pleasant memory for all involved. And a bulldozer canít ever push that out of my mind.